The Old Cities Part One: Casco Viejo/Casco Antiguo

On Friday we explored the various old cities through Panama City. The original city, Panama Viejo, was formed in the 1519, but it was ransacked and burned in 1671 by Captain Henry Morgan, an infamous pirate. Two years later the city was rebuilt 5 miles from the original site on a peninsula where they built a massive sea wall to protect the new city from further attacks from pirates. Also, the extreme difference in the tide levels exposes the rocks and coral which further protected the city from invasion.

We started our day in Casco Viejo or Casco Antiguo and worked our way back in time throughout the day to Panama Viejo! The first thing on the agenda was the to walk along the seawall among the open air markets called Esteban Huertas Promenade, they are run by indigenous people who sell their handmade jewelry, cloths and other various items. The market has a beautiful view as you can see the island of Tabago in the distance and the the city-scape of the new downtown Panama City.

 

View from the market!

Tabago is off in the distance.

All the jewelry and sculptures were carved out of Tagua nut.   

After doing a little shopping, we went to Dodo which is an adorable French café where we cooled off with a pot of tea and chocolate chip banana bread. The atmosphere is quaint with French instrumental music, black and white checker board floor, and doily table clothes. My favorite aspect is that books were scattered around the café and I found numerous classic novels, such as Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility.

We proceeded to walk around exploring the streets of Casco. Many of the churches were open for viewing, and apparently Jessica had not had the opportunity to go inside them since she has moved to Panama! So she got to do a little exploring with me!

The flat arch makes this unique architecturally and acoustically.  

It was amazing to see cathedrals mixed so effortlessly in with other modern buildings. 

My favorite part of Casco Antiguo was down this a rundown, stone staircase that led to a strip of sand and debris. This beach is not a place where people would typically layout, enjoy soaking up the sun and swimming; however, it contained my favorite thing to collect, sea-glass! As I walked around scanning the ground I found many treasures; including two pieces of large blue sea-glass which are a rare find! After a morning walking around in the heat, seeing the sights, learning about the history and shopping we stopped for an ice cold Balboa, a Panamanian beer, before heading back to the house to catch a ride to the old city, Panama Viejo.

This small beach had an amazing selection of sea-glass and shells!

I had to get a Panama hat!